Drought is likely to continue into 2026, due to record dry weather, the Environment Agency has warned.
Despite recent rainfall, the National Drought Group warned England must “prepare for ongoing drought” unless there was significant rainfall at the end of this this year and heading into the next.
The group – comprising the Met Office, the government, regulators, water companies, the NFU, Canal & Rivers Trust, anglers and conservation experts – warned at its latest meeting the country needed 100% of average rainfall to recover by April.
So far in 2025, only two months have met the figure, following the hottest summer on record.
“We need a lot more rain this winter to fill up our rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater”, said NDG chair Helen Wakeham.
“The changing climate means we must prepare for more droughts,” she added. “Securing our water resources needs to be a national priority.”
She urged the public to use water as efficiently as possible even if it was wet outside. Water companies were told to continue water-saving messaging and leak reduction, and farmers were asked to check their licences.
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“By 28 October, provisional data shows England had only 61% of its expected annual rainfall, when we’d normally have about 80% at this time of the year, based on 1991–2020 average,” said Dr Will Lang, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office.
He said that, while recent rainfall had helped, variations remained regionally, and drought conditions still affected a number of areas.
“Without sustained and widespread precipitation, a consistent recovery from drought remains uncertain,” he added.
Those who attended the London meeting were told average reservoir storage had fallen to 63.3%, compared with the average for this time of year of 76%.
There has also been a regional divide in rainfall. The north west received 190% in September, the north east 171%, the south east 126% and the east 100% of expected rainfall.
September saw 149% of long-term average rainfall across England but, despite Storm Benjamin, October has seen 77%.
“It’s been encouraging to see the scorched summer lawns returning to green in recent weeks,” said water minister Emma Hardy. “But we know the prolonged lack of rainfall continues to pose risks to public water supplies, farming, and the environment.
The minister said the government was “closely monitoring” water levels regionally and working to maintain supplies with the NDG and water companies.
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